Concluding dharmasthIyam - Some remarks

In past nine posts, I have given an overview of 19 chapters of dharmasthIyam. In the last and concluding chapter 20 of dharmasthIyam, cANakya deals with three topics.

1. dyUtam - related to the gambling
2. samAhvayam - related to betting and
3. prakIrNakAni - miscellaneous and important remarks related to judges

The superintendent of gambling should get all the gambling activities happen in one designated place. Anyone carrying out the gambling in any other place should be fined. It is important to have designated gambling place as it would work like a place where the people with undisclosed incomes flock together over there!

When disputes arise related to dyUtam between the winner and looser should be first dealt by the superintendent of the gambling house. The gambling house takes 5% on the winning money as fees. Regularly the gambling dice etc., should be checked and replaced by the adhyaksha.

On the disputes related to the betting or challenges between individuals to be treated as per the rules in "sAhasa" or applying force.

In prakIrNakam, cANakya describes some important points while dealing with disputes of civil or criminal nature and finally concludes:

"disputes related to religious institutions (dEva), priests (brAhmaNa), saints (tapasvi), women (strI), children (bAla), elderly (vRddha), one's in distress (vyAdhitAnAm) and those who are helpless (anAdhAnAm) should be handled by judges even if they do not approach the court and should not be dismissed on the pretext of place and time constraints."

"On account of excellence in learning (vidya), intellect (buddhi), valour (paurusha), noble birth (abhijana), and noble deeds (karmAtiSaya) people should be respected"

"Judges with an impartial view towards all beings (note: not only humans!) look into the matters without deceit; are worthy of trust and beloved by people" 

With this 50th post to this blog, we reach the end of third book of artha SAstra called dharmasthIyam. A total of 77 chapters are covered till now.